You'll Survive!: Late Blooming, Early Blooming, Loneliness, Klutziness, and Other Problems of Adolescence, and How to Live Through Them

Besides the usual framework and sequence of physical development, Powledge offers investigation of group dynamics, moral dilemmas and rites of passage (though one wishes he'd chosen a more appealing cross-cultural example than pulling out teens' fingernails). The quotes are broader than most volumes of this kind, relying less on teens and more on Aristotle and Ruth Benedict. A freewheeling conversational style is both an asset and a drawback here. While it sometimes creates easy, pleasant reading, insufficient organization makes for difficulty in predicting where the author is heading; as a result, some of the offbeat material may go unappreciated. The author's theme: we all go through adolescence and survive; you will, too. (12up)